5.4 What Is Life? The Informational View (OB19)

Matter and energy are necessary aspects of living forms, but they
do not fundamentally distinguish between living and inanimate systems.
“Information” is, however, a basic characteristic of all sentient
beings. This does not mean that life has now been explained, but a
very important factor has been mentioned. Even at the lowest level,
in the case of viroids, which are simpler than viruses, where we have
single molecules of nucleic acid, information is the distinguishing
entity. Without a doubt, the most complex information processing
system is a human being. Even when applying the theorems
mentioned initially, we can now formulate a further equation, L2,
contrasting with L1:

Life = material part (physical and chemical aspects) +
+ non-material part (information having an
intellectual source) (L2)

This formula comprises a radical extension over and against basic
assumption E3 of evolution, but even L2 is not sufficient, because
it cannot explain all life phenomena (as, for example, the shaping of
bodily growth, consciousness, and responsibility). This author introduced
three classes of information that are present in sentient
organisms [in G7, p. 136–139]:

Structural information: Although not sufficient for explaining
the origin of an organism, genetic information is essential. It
contains the individual constructional blueprint for every life-form, and ensures its effective transmission from generation
to generation. In every grain of wheat, it is responsible for the
growth of a new plant that in its turn produces wheat grains
as seed. In the same way, the merging of male sperm cells and
female ova determines the genetic combination of the new
person. The embryo cannot develop without the accompanying
constructional information. This specific information is decisive
for the development of the appropriate structures, even if it
is not sufficient. By using only a few similar building blocks
(20 amino acids), the program determines whether an oak, a
rose, a butterfly, a swallow, a horse, or a man is constructed.
The most important part of transferring the genotype is not
the essential material interest, but the information within, and
this is non-material.

Operational information: In all the different kinds of life-forms
there is an immense variety of information processing systems
that drive the internal “operational” processes:

All the required operational and structural materials must
be synthesized inside the cells. In the human body alone,
fifty thousand different proteins have to be built up according
to exact chemical and procedural requirements. If the
specifications of only one of these proteins are absent from
the controlling program, it could be dangerous or lethal
(e.g., insulin).

The nervous system serves as the communication network
for all relevant information for controlling the harmonious
operation of all organic systems, as well as for controlling
the movements of the limbs.

Communicative information: Communication, especially with
others of the same kind, plays a central role in the life of organisms.
For this purpose, systems for the transmission and
reception of signals exist which certainly comprise some of the
most amazing features of creation. In the animal kingdom,
communication systems essentially serve the following purposes:
sexual courtship (e.g., the mating calls of birds, and the
sexual secretions of insects), communicating a source of food
(bee dances), detection of enemies (the pheromones of ants),
the sharing of tasks among families or colonies (like ants and
bees), and for befriending other organisms (ants appease the
caterpillars of the butterfly “Blue” by allomones). The variety
and sensitivity of the various receptors are astounding. Some
quantitative examples:

Certain grasshoppers can detect soil vibrations having an
amplitude of only 5 · 10-10
cm. That is 1/25 of the diameter
of the first electron orbit of a hydrogen atom.

The threshold of audibility of the human ear is 10-12
watts
per square meter. By this it reaches the physically possible
limits.

The heat-sensitive organ (pit organ) of the Malayan moccasin
snake can detect a change in temperature of 1/1000°C,
independent of the temperature of its own body.

Even a single molecule of the pheromone bombykol secreted
by the female bombyx mori can still be detected by the
male’s antenna. In this respect, one should remember that
one cubic centimeter of air contains 26.9 · 1018
molecules
(or nearly 27 million billion).

Human speech is distinctly different from all animal communication
systems. Articulated speech is a very versatile instrument, which not
only serves to convey meaning, but it is the foundation of all our
thoughts and mental activities. The German language employs more
than half a million words and it is impossible to calculate the number
of possible combinations of the numerous forms of the words into
sentences and paragraphs that our power of speech is capable of. The
number of expressible thoughts is also exceedingly large. No animal
communication system possesses such creative possibilities; they can
only be used for strictly limited, “burned in” forms of expression.

Nearly all information processes are controlled by the brain. It is the
most complex but also the least understood organ. Most biological
functions cannot proceed without the brain. If the brain is dead, then
the whole organism also dies (cerebral death; compare OB5).

All these information systems require an intellectual source according
to the information theorems mentioned above. The endeavors
of evolutionists to explain life as a purely mechanistic phenomenon
gloss over these facts and ignore these verifiable theorems.

Did God Use Evolution?

According to the view of theistic evolution, God started the process of evolution and guided and steered it over millions of years. As an information scientist, Werner Gitt critically analyzes and rejects the assumptions and consequences of the doctrine of theistic evolution.

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Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ effectively. We focus on providing answers to questions about the Bible—particularly the book of Genesis—regarding key issues such as creation, evolution, science, and the age of the earth.